An analysis of the characters lives in the wilderness and in society in into the wild by jon krakaue

McCandless "talks the talk" in a way that alienates fewer listeners than one would predict, but he "walks the walk," too — which may account for the fact that so many of those he encountered continued to listen. Fault Of Pot[ato] Seed" [5] [6] Based on this entry, Krakauer hypothesized that McCandless had been eating what he thought was the roots of an edible plant, Hedysarum alpinumcommonly known as wild Eskimo potatowhich are sweet and nourishing in the spring but later become too tough to eat.

Four months later his decomposed body was found by a party of moose hunters. Krakauer also relates the stories of some other young men who vanished into the wilderness, such as Everett Ruessan artist and wanderer who went missing in the Utah desert duringat age Educated, affluent and talented, McCandless appears to have led a happy and fortunate life, with a promising future.

How often theme appears: For four weeks, McCandless works at the grain elevator. Retrieved September 23, He was hungry to learn about things. Summary Analysis Author, journalist, and narrator Jon Krakauer, introduces Into the Wild by presenting the circumstances surrounding the death of Christopher McCandless: Yet by noting his connection to Leo Tolstoy, Krakauer indicates that McCandless is part of a tradition of such people, and that this sort of idealism can sometimes lead to greatness.

Although he planned to hike to the coast, the boggy terrain of summer proved too difficult, and he decided instead to camp in a derelict bus. Krakauer hypothesised that the bag in which Chris kept the potato seeds was damp and the seeds thus became moldy.

Krakauer gives a brief account of McCandless, reporting that he grew up in an affluent suburb of Washington D. In July, he tried to leave, only to find the route blocked by a snow-melt swollen river. That he gives up all his worldly possessions makes his disappearance and death even more puzzling, enticing Krakauer and the reader to continue investigating.

By disclosing his bias, but also engaging diverse opinions, Krakauer reestablishes his position as a consummate investigative reporter. By closely observing the quality of animal behaviors, as well as deeply analyzing the effect of the passing seasons upon his personal development, Thoreau idealized such self-isolation within the wilderness, beautified nature, and romanticized its transformative ability, establishing an American legacy steeped in reverence for those who seek themselves in the wild.

Krakauer first speculated that the seeds were actually from Hedysarum mackenziior wild sweet pea, instead of the Eskimo Potato, which contained a poisonous alkaloidpossibly swainsonine the toxic chemical in locoweed or something similar.

Not only did McCandless carry a heavily annotated copy of the text with him throughout his travels, like Thoreau, who lived in a secluded cabin to simplify his life, McCandless made camp at an abandoned bus in the middle of Denali National Forest in order to find himself.

Westerberg told Krakauer, "There was something fascinating about him. When this happened, McCandless may have attempted to eat the seeds instead. Unlike most of us, he was the sort of person who insisted on living out his beliefs. Thomas Clausen, toxins were not found.

It is easy to be inspired by books and the ideas they espouse, but not so easy to live the kind of life envisioned by thinkers like Tolstoy and London. Juxtaposing literary passages that idealize nature against the actual rough circumstances that McCandless encounters in the wild, Krakauer complicates the inspiring image of the American wilderness.

He plans on staying until April 15, when he will buy new gear and travel to Alaska. Krakauer presents these facts to explain his fascination with McCandless and intrigue the reader further. In addition to neurological symptoms, such as weakness and loss of coordination, the poison causes starvation by blocking nutrient metabolism in the body.

However, Krakauer later suggested that McCandless had not confused the two plants and had in fact actually eaten Hedysarum alpinum. There he headed down the snow-covered trail to begin an odyssey with only 10 pounds g of rice, a. While the former characteristic, his awkwardness with machines, is consequential in ways that he manages to recover from as in the abandonment of his carthe latter, his difficulty being just plain sensible, will have a greater impact.

After graduating with honors from Emory University in the summer ofMcCandless went off the grid by changing his name, donating the remainder of his college savings to charity, abandoning his car, giving up his possessions, and burning all the cash in his wallet.

McCandless shed his legal name early in his journey, adopting the moniker "Alexander Supertramp", after W.

McCandless perished sometime around the week of August 18,after surviving more than days. It seems to be their lifestyle more than anything else that McCandless is rejecting when he flees the conventional middle-class American way of life, though why it so repels him is never made completely clear by Into the Wild.

Following chemical analysis of the seeds, Krakauer now believes that the seeds themselves are poisonous. If McCandless had eaten seeds that contained this mold, he could have become sick, and Krakauer suggests that he thus became unable to get out of bed and so starved.

But Krakauer also interrogates the romantic mythology surrounding the portrayal of the American wilderness, its adventurers, and their mysterious disappearances.

Walt McCandless was stubborn and controlling. Krakauer had the plant tested for any toxins and, through tests on Hendysarum alpinum, it was discovered that it contained an unidentifiable form of toxin.Explore Chapter 2 in Jon Krakauer's book, 'Into the Wild.' We'll fast forward to the discovery of Christopher McCandless's body in an abandoned bus.

Get free homework help on Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild: book summary, chapter summary and analysis, quotes, essays, and character analysis courtesy of CliffsNotes. Into the Wild is a non-fiction book written by Jon Krakauer.

Krakauer also relates the stories of some other young men who vanished into the wilderness, such as Everett Ruess, Into the Wild addresses the issues of how to be accepted into society, and how finding oneself sometimes conflicts with being an active member in society.

LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Into the Wild, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. The American Wilderness. Though Into the Wild is a nonfiction book (that is, a true story), Jon Krakauer's choice to start it in this fashion encourages the reader to connect Christopher McCandless's journey with that of the fictional character Odysseus (as well as other characters, like Aeneas and the protagonist of Dante's Divine Comedy, who resemble Odysseus.

Nash talks about how people go into the wilderness to get away from people, society, or to experience solitude. This Chapter is when McCandless goes into the Alaskan wild and is trying to live off the land.